Preparation time
30 mins to 1 hour
Cooking time
10 to 30 mins
Serves
Serves 4
By Tom BrownFrom Saturday Kitchen
Ingredients
For the pickled vegetables
- 50ml/2fl oz white wine vinegar
- 50ml/2fl oz white wine
- 30g/1oz caster sugar
- 2 spring carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 8 radishes, trimmed and quartered
- 1 banana shallot, peeled and cut into rings
For the crab rarebit
- 50g/1¾oz unsalted butter
- 50g/1¾oz plain flour
- 200ml/7fl oz Cornish amber ale, or any good ale
- 300g/10½oz mature cheddar, grated
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp English mustard
- 2 tbsp brown crab meat
- 4 thick slices white bread
To serve
- 120g/4½oz white crab meat
- olive oil, for drizzling
- ½ lemon, juice only
- small handful fresh flatleaf parsley
Method
-
To make the pickled vegetables, bring the vinegar, wine and sugar to the boil in a saucepan. Remove from the heat and add the vegetables. Leave to cool and pickle – you can leave these overnight if you want, or eat them as soon as the rarebit is ready.
-
To make the rarebit, melt the butter in a frying pan, add the flour, stir and cook for a minute to make a roux. Add the ale and gently cook until it reduces to a thick sauce. Stir in the cheese, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and brown crab meat and beat until the cheese is melted.
-
Preheat the grill to the hottest setting. Toast the bread. Spread the crab rarebit mixture onto the toast and place under the hot grill until caramelised.
-
To serve, top the rarebit slices with the white crab meat, a good drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. Serve with the pickled vegetables and fresh parsley.
